This invention relates to circuit breakers, and in particular provides a circuit breaker constructed such that the arc voltage of an arc drawn across the gap between a pair of contacts is effectively raised, and such that the foot of the arc is caused to shift to an electrically conductive projection provided in proximity to the contact to increase the length of the arc to effectively extinguish the arc.
In prior circuit breakers, the foot of an arc drawn across the gap between the contacts would spread onto the surfaces of the conductor in the vicinity of the contact, making it impossible to increase the arc voltage to any great extent, and also resulting in the defect that since the foot of the arc generally remained on the contact, wear of the contact was apt to occur.